Summary Of James Nestor´s A Conversation With Whales
The article “A Conversation With Whales” by James Nestor, featured in The New York Times on April 15, 2016, argues the best way to observe and study whales is by free diving. As a scientist who closely studied sperm whales by free diving on a research team, Nestor wrote this article to express the urgency surrounding learning about whales as they approach endangerment. He successfully explains the importance of free-diving for this purpose through ethos, logos, and pathos.
Nestor uses personal credentials, expertise, and his fellow expert researchers to make his argument trustworthy. “Fabrice Schnöller, a French engineer with a degree in biology” is the head of their prestigious research group on a project called DareWin (4). Prior to Schnöller’s
work, very little was known about communication and behavior of whales. By showing the audience that his team is both accomplished and driven, the audience can trust his credentials. Nestor respects the opposition who believe DareWin’s research is “unscientific” compared to observation from a boat. (16). Nestor acknowledges that “Diving with [whales] was considered suicide” and the research may be “crazy” (7,21). He uses a quote by the accomplished Schnöller to justify the accused recklessness of the studies, “We finally have the technology and methods to significantly increase our understanding of one of the planet’s most intelligent animals We can’t just sit here and do nothing. You’ve got to get in the water!” (19). By respecting other opinions, Nestor invites readers of all belief levels on the matter to consider his view. Another aspect that Nestor uses is professionalism. He explains that all of their footage is available to the public (14). In addition, his article was featured in The New York Times, which is already a reliable source. This provides great accessibility to the truth behind his words.
Nestor uses facts and specific examples to convince the audience of his opinion. Through his research into the work he found that free diving is silent so researchers can “record a clear audio signal of whale vocalizations” while “the disruptive gurgle of scuba gear scares the animals away” (13,9). Facts like “humans have killed off about 70 percent of the sperm whale population” and “sperm whales’ brains are the largest ever known” further validate the authors credentials (19,20).
Nestor uses pathos to relate to his audience on an emotional level through story-telling and vivid descriptions. The entire article is written with a beginning middle and end to the story of his life- changing free dives with sperm whales. He has personally experienced the impact free diving can have on seeing whales in their natural habitat and this helps readers relate to his first-hand experience. Vivid imagery when he describes the sounds of whales “like a popgun firing in quick succession” helps the reader visualize what it would be like to be a free diver doing research. Nestor states at the end of the article that the importance of free diving is not “a scientific epiphany but an emotional one” (27).
It is important for Nestor to be successful in convincing his audience that free diving is the best way to study whales because it might change the climate of the conversation surrounding them in research. If free diving is used more than observation from a boat, information will be more quickly gained and scientists can learn much more about whales, perhaps keeping them from endangerment or extinction.
Nestor uses personal credentials, expertise, and his fellow expert researchers to make his argument trustworthy. “Fabrice Schnöller, a French engineer with a degree in biology” is the head of their prestigious research group on a project called DareWin (4). Prior to Schnöller’s
work, very little was known about communication and behavior of whales. By showing the audience that his team is both accomplished and driven, the audience can trust his credentials. Nestor respects the opposition who believe DareWin’s research is “unscientific” compared to observation from a boat. (16). Nestor acknowledges that “Diving with [whales] was considered suicide” and the research may be “crazy” (7,21). He uses a quote by the accomplished Schnöller to justify the accused recklessness of the studies, “We finally have the technology and methods to significantly increase our understanding of one of the planet’s most intelligent animals We can’t just sit here and do nothing. You’ve got to get in the water!” (19). By respecting other opinions, Nestor invites readers of all belief levels on the matter to consider his view. Another aspect that Nestor uses is professionalism. He explains that all of their footage is available to the public (14). In addition, his article was featured in The New York Times, which is already a reliable source. This provides great accessibility to the truth behind his words.
Nestor uses facts and specific examples to convince the audience of his opinion. Through his research into the work he found that free diving is silent so researchers can “record a clear audio signal of whale vocalizations” while “the disruptive gurgle of scuba gear scares the animals away” (13,9). Facts like “humans have killed off about 70 percent of the sperm whale population” and “sperm whales’ brains are the largest ever known” further validate the authors credentials (19,20).
Nestor uses pathos to relate to his audience on an emotional level through story-telling and vivid descriptions. The entire article is written with a beginning middle and end to the story of his life- changing free dives with sperm whales. He has personally experienced the impact free diving can have on seeing whales in their natural habitat and this helps readers relate to his first-hand experience. Vivid imagery when he describes the sounds of whales “like a popgun firing in quick succession” helps the reader visualize what it would be like to be a free diver doing research. Nestor states at the end of the article that the importance of free diving is not “a scientific epiphany but an emotional one” (27).
It is important for Nestor to be successful in convincing his audience that free diving is the best way to study whales because it might change the climate of the conversation surrounding them in research. If free diving is used more than observation from a boat, information will be more quickly gained and scientists can learn much more about whales, perhaps keeping them from endangerment or extinction.